A Diné family with deep ties to the military holds an annual Veterans Day breakfast

CRYSTAL, N.M. — Randy Ross Begay brought a flag belonging to his late father, Vietnam veteran Toledo Ross Begay, to be refolded by fellow veterans and family members during a free Veterans Day breakfast event Friday.

Flags from the Navajo Nation, Arizona and New Mexico flew with the U.S. flag and those of different branches of the military alongside New Mexico Highway 134. A chilly wind added to the cold morning temperatures, and the flags were a welcome sight for passersby and veterans headed through the Chuska Mountains, inviting them to stop for some breakfast and to visit.

“Seventeen years ago we had this idea of having a breakfast alongside the road for all families that have veterans, veterans themselves, and it just kicked off,” said Robert Begay, a Marine Corps veteran. “People show up, and now the community expects it. We enjoy it.”

Robert Begay isn’t the only veteran in the family. He said there are family members who have served in World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam and Iraq. One family member was the late Toledo Begay, who fought in Vietnam.

Toledo Begay had been exposed to Agent Orange while serving in Vietnam and suffered the effects. Agent Orange was a herbicide mixture that contained a dangerous chemical contaminant called dioxin, used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War. Production of the defoliant ended in the 1970s.

Roughly 300,000 veterans have died from Agent Orange exposure, almost five times as many as the 58,000 who died in combat. The Red Cross estimates that 3 million Vietnamese people have been affected by dioxin, including at least 150,000 children born with serious birth defects.

“Agent Orange, which is part of the reason he passed away — he had cancer,” said his son Randy Begay. “He blamed a lot of that on our health, too. He had a lot of health problems because of that.”

Native people answered the call

Randy Begay said it’s important for his family to have his dad’s flag refolded every year by other veterans during this family event.

“We are proud he served his country,” he said. “We come out every year to refold his flag.”

During the Vietnam War, of the 42,000 American Indians who served, 90 percent were volunteers. Approximately one of every four eligible American Indian people served, compared with one in 12 who were eligible in the general population.

American Indians and Alaska Natives serve in the Armed Forces at five times the rate of the national average and have served with distinction in every major conflict for over 200 years, according to the National Council on Aging.

The council's report also said that, considering the population of the U.S. is approximately 1.4 percent Native and the military is 1.7 percent Native (not including those who did not disclose their identity), Native people have the highest per-capita involvement of any population to serve in the armed forces.

“Including in-laws and those who have passed, we have 11 veterans in our family,” said Leslie Kedelty, Robert Begay’s niece. “We as a family just came together, and it grew from there. We have had over 100 people come through at times.”

'Your day to continue to remember'

Native communities also have a higher concentration of female service members than all other groups. Nearly 20 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives service members were women, while 15.6 percent of all other service members were women.

In 2003, U.S. Army Specialist Lori Piestewa, a member of the Hopi tribe, was killed in action in Iraq. She was posthumously promoted and was the first Native American woman in history to die in combat while serving in the U.S. military. She was also the first American woman in the U.S. military to be killed in the Iraq War.

Throughout the Navajo Nation, various Veterans Day events took place Friday. In Window Rock, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren and other dignitaries offered their appreciation to veterans.

“Thank you so much to all the veterans that are here,” said Nygren. “This is your day to continue to remember each and every one of you and your leadership.”

But no matter what administration holds an event for veterans on the Navajo Nation, Robert Begay, along with his immediate and extended family will continue to hold the free breakfast event annually.

“It's grown over the years," he said. "I think this was the first in the community — most of the veterans stuff that happens on the reservation is sponsored by the government. This is really a family event. It's nice to express our appreciation. We want to promote a healthy life, not just for the veterans, but their kids and grandkids.

"A long time ago, my father use to say 'always plan, not just for yourself, plan for seven generations down the road,' that's what my dad use to tell us and me and my siblings carry that on."

Arlyssa Becenti covers Indigenous affairs for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Send ideas and tips to arlyssa.becenti@arizonarepublic.com.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: A Navajo family with deep military ties honors Native veterans